READER LETTER | Ageism robs SA of manpower

We have institutionalised a form of ageism that is as destructive as it is illogical. We claim to prioritise “youth” (18–34), but the moment a South African turns 35, the doors of opportunity slam shut. This group – specifically black men – is then blamed for social decay despite being systematically excluded from the means to provide or lead.

​Consider the irony: if the state were at war there would be no “age limit” for the draft. Why is this same manpower not “drafted” into the rebuilding of our economy? While China lifted billions out of poverty by valuing the labour of every generation, SA treats those between 35 and 65 as disposable.

Many in this “forgotten generation” are waiting for a chance to give meaning to their lives – through specialised training, pastoral work, or artistic contribution. Instead, they’re met with a “Human Rights Day” that ignores their right to work. Is it a spiritual failing of our leaders that they find it easier to take revenge against their own flesh and blood than to demand justice from the former oppressor?

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We must stop sacrificing our own for the sake of a political narrative that serves no one but the elite. – Khotso KD Moleko, Mangaung

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